Teak trees swiped from forest reserves

MAE HONG SON: The authorities are investigating more than 800,000 teak trees cut from properly registered timber-growing areas after some of the plots were found to be forest reserves unlawfully granted land title deeds.

In an associated problem, some trees cut from forest reserves have been misleadingly presented as timber grown in registered timber-growing areas.

After complaints were lodged about this, a team of personnel from various authorities began inspecting plots of land yesterday in the Mae Yuam national forest reserve, as well as other plots in Khun Yuam district that are claimed to be verified timber-growing land.

The team comprised officials from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), Mae Hong Son provincial office and the Royal Forest Department.

Pol Lt Col Prawut Wongsinil, the DSI deputy director-general who is leading the inspection team, said that preliminary checks showed there are up to 444 registered timber-growing plots covering 7,849 rai.

The team looked into 14 plots covering 391 rai that are registered as timbergrowing land by Wisut Burusphakdi in Khun Yuam district, and found that 10 spanning 278 rai actually belong to the Mae Yuam reserve, Pol Lt Col Prawut said.

Mr Wisut has successfully registered 156,200 trees but at least 111,100 were grown in Mae Yum reserve, he said. Many have already been cut down in violation of national forest reserve law, he said.

Even though Mr Wisut’s other plots do not encroach on the reserve the Mae Hong Son provincial court has ruled on two occasions that four of the plots have counterfeit title deeds, he added.

The DSI has decided to treat the further investigation into these plots of land owned by Mr Wisut as a special case, Pol Lt Col Prawut said.

On another one-rai plot that was registered as a timber-growing area by Jatuporn Kaweewat on Aug 6, 2012, the authorities found that all 11 of the teak trees there aged over 50 have been cut down, he said.

The land title deed was also issued illegally as the plot belongs to the Pai Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, he said.

Meanwhile, an 8-rai plot in the province’s central Muang district that was awaiting approval for registration as a timber-growing area after an application was made by Thongsai Yanawut has been found to belong to Mae Pai national forest reserve, Pol Lt Col Prawut added.